In This Room

Chapter 1 - Mutual

She walks across the street quickly, but not quickly enough for him to not notice her. He's been thinking about her all day. The way she left him high and dry earlier that morning isn't something that he was bound to forget soon. He put his head down follows quickly behind her, feet unintentionally splashing in the leftover puddles of rain last night. She enters the small boutique, shutting the door behind her. He follows in cautiously, looking around for anyone who might notice him. With the coast being clear, he unzips his jacket, wipes his feet on the mat and makes his way over to where she was standing. She touches the fuzzy, purple scarf resting on the neck of the mannequin, rubbing her fingers gently on the thick wool.

"Mags," he whispers behind her. She continues to remove the scarf from the mannequin and place it around her neck. "Mags," he whispers again. She walks over to a small mirror in the corner of the shop and he stands behind her. "Mags," he whispers as his fingers graze her elbow. She looks up in the mirror and sees his presence standing close to her.

"Shawn," she whispers as she grasps the scarf, her back still facing him. "I didn't expect to see you here." She snaps out of her trance and continues to fluff the scarf.

"Well, I didn't expect you to be gone this morning." He breathes out heavily through his nose and reaches around her front to even out the scarf, brushing his fingers against hers. "This is the fourth time you've done this, Magnolia."

"Sorry. I just had other things to do." Magnolia turns around and looks him in the eye. She drags her fingers up the zipper of his coat and rested them on the faux fur of the hood. "I left a note."

He rolls his eyes, his mind racing. "The note doesn't matter when you told me that you wanted all of me. Was it just for last night, or did you mean longer? I don't even know what you're after anymore."

"Look, Shawn, I was drunk, you were drunk. It didn't mean anything. We were both looking for a good time and you just happen to be in town," she turns towards the mirror, her eyes neglecting his, "like you said, this isn't our first time."

Frustrated, he runs his hands through his hair. "You can't keep doing this to me. Something has to give eventually and I don't want it to." He watches her slip the scarf back over her head and roll it into a ball. He places his hands on her hips and turns her to face him. Magnolia places the scarf in his hands and walks to the jewelry section. He follows her, fixing the wadded material of the scarf.

"Mags, I need something consistent," his voice begins to raise. "I love my job, but it's the opposite of that. I wake up in a new place almost every morning. I go to a different stage with different fans and different security guards. I have a way to enter everywhere I go and I have an opposite way to leave. I want you so bad, but we can't keep doing this when I'm here in Charlotte. I can't have you in my room calling me 'love' at two in the morning. You need to tell me what you're looking for, honey, because if you want this to be something more than a few one night stands you need to tell me."

She smooths out the hem of her shirt while glancing over the delicate pieces of gold and silver dangling off their smooth chains. "I hate that I can't just be with you. You're a good guy, but your lifestyle just won't work for me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I want to look at this jewelry in peace without you breathing down my back."

He puts the scarf back on the mannequin and makes his way to the door. A large crowd of girls has already surrounded the entrance and the doors were staying closed, thanks to the workers and his security team.

"You wanna go out the back way?" one of the security guards asks.

"No, I want to see my fans. Get this off my mind."

"Yes, sir," the security guard responds. The guards push the crowd back as the store employees unlock and open the door.

"See you tonight, hun" she calls, looking at him from the mirror's reflection.